After the February 14, 2017 decision:

Register/sign up to be included in the Ontario Sixties Scoop Class Action

Negotiations are now occurring. Make sure you sign up whether you are a Status or non-Status Indian, lived or did not live on a reserve, or were removed before 1965.

All that matters is that you were removed in Ontario. It does not matter that you were placed outside Ontario.

Thank you to all who have assisted us to reach the stage of proving liability, demonstrating that a wrong-in-law did take place.
Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Indigenous and Norther Affairs, stated in the House of Commons on February 15, 2017 that the Government will “absolutely” not be appealing. But, we have seen before, as recently as February 1st and February 2nd, 2017 how the Minister says one thing on Wednesday (i.e. “dark chapter” in Canadian history and no more litigation) and the government does the other on Thursday (i.e. file a brief with the Judge asking for the 8th time for the case to be dismissed). The government has 30 days to appeal from February 14, 2017. We are advised Canada will try to negotiate an across-Canada settlement and, until that occurs, if ever, the Ontario case will continue and proceed to the damages stage. The judge will hear evidence and be asked to assess the amount of money that should be paid to the victims of the Ontario Sixties Scoop. Representative plaintiff Marcia Brown Martel will be presenting to the judge a request for an aggregate sum of damages to provide for programs that ensure that what happened to the Sixties Scoop Survivors cannot happen again.With the ruling, we celebrate:

A judicial finding that our children have voices and their harm has been heard

the fact that this is the first case in the western world of law that says that our government has a duty to protect our cultural identity;

the fact that this is the first case in the western world of law that says that the duty to protect our cultural identity belongs to each of us as individuals, and is not reserved exclusively to our Bands or Chiefs to assert a collective right. Each of us is deserved of respect and recognition of her or his Indigenous traditions, customs and language. Cultural identity is an individual right.

If you would like to watch the ceremonial sharing of the February 14, 2017 decision of the Honourable Justice Edward Belobaba that took place that day at the Native Child and Family Services Centre in Toronto, click here.

If you would like to have a listing of the media articles that captured the event of the Honourable Judge’s ruling, click here.